The majority of children have asked mum and dad for a tablet, games console or
their own laptop for Christmas

Over three quarters (78 per cent) of children in the UK have asked for a tech present this Christmas, according to a study of parents with children between the ages of 5 – 11 years.

Parents had mixed reactions to the request, with 46 per cent stating that the gadgets are too expensive. Just under a third (29 per cent) felt their children were too young and 18 per cent said they would prefer to buy more traditional presents.

Despite their reservations, however, over half the parents surveyed confessed to giving in to their children's requests, with 31 percent of those saying sad faces on Christmas day was the main reason for backing down, the study by FreeDeliveryLand.co.uk revealed.

Almost a quarter said playground pressure was their reason for relenting, claiming all talk was around the tablets and consoles parents were prepared to fork out for. Just over a fifth, (21 per cent) said their children used tech at school so felt it was okay for them to have their over devices at home.

“We’ve always resisted buying our children techy presents, but this year we have given in," said one respondent to the survey. "Part of it is because of the pressure we feel under – the number of mums and dads buying their eight year olds top of the range iPads is unbelievable. We certainly can’t stretch to that so have opted for something at a much lower cost.”

Another said: “Children in this age group are growing up in a very techy world. They use tablets at school – in fact my seven year old can work one much better than I can. We just have to face facts that this is the world they live in so instead of resisting it, we should embrace technology and encourage them to use it sensibly.”

Latest figures from FreeDeliveryLand.co.uk show that searches for electronic gadgets are up by 36% this year compared to the same time in 2012, with the rise being attributed to interest in the cheaper tablets.

“Children grow up with gadgets around them all the time now – at school and at home – so it is becoming harder for parents to say no," saidaA spokesperson for FreeDeliveryLand.co.uk.

“There can be a compromise though. There are now some good, low cost tablets available and there are some good alternatives aimed specifically at younger children which are certainly worth considering.”